My Upcoming Presentation at Northern Illinois University

Trans Talk: Explore the Myth and Science of Sexuality (Radio Interview)

Recently I was the guest on a radio program called TransTalk (part of the Tenth Voice program series) to discuss the topic of the biology of sexual development and behavior, including gender identity and sexual orientation. Sorry that I didn't have time to say everything I would have liked to, but still I'm always glad for every opportunity to reach an audience with this important message about the naturalness of LGBTI people. 

ON THE TENTH VOICE (LGBT) | MARCH 22, 2014 | 1:00 PM

Trans Talk: Explore The Myth and Science of Sexuality with Dr. Drantz

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:13 — 19.3MB)

VIDEO – Gender Binary & LGBTI People: Myth and Medical Malpractice

Here is a video of the presentation “Gender Binary and LGBTI People: Myth and Medical Malpractice” that I gave on April 27, 2012 at the Freethought Festival organized by “Atheists, Humanists, and Agnostics” at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. This video clearly shows all the slides as I explain them, and is much easier to follow than the slideshow and audio file of this same presentation that I posted on May 13th.



This Freethought Festival was the first of its kind, and I am honored to have been a part of it. You can “attend” all the other thought-provoking Freethought Festival presentations at this link. http://www.youtube.com/wiscatheists

P.S.  Here are some comments from another site:
http://freethoughtblogs.com/almostdiamonds/2012/07/08/the-gender-binary-lgbti-people-myth-and-medical-malpractice/

Slideshow with Audio: GENDER BINARY AND LGBTI PEOPLE - MYTH AND MEDICAL MALPRACTICE

My PowerPoint slideshow and the accompanying audio recording of my presentation given on April 27th at the Freethought Festival 2012 in Madison, Wisconsin are below.  Click on the audio link (in a separate window) to listen to the presentation and then click on the slideshow to see the slides while you listen.

You will learn the science of sexual development in mammals that includes sexual identity and sexual orientation as well as the genitalia.   "Core sexuality" is discovered, not learned!   You will also learn how LGBTI people continue to be pathologized and subjected to unethical, bogus treatments by medical practitioners hell-bent on enforcing the gender binary.

Gender Binary & LGBTI People - Myth and Medical Malpractice

View more PowerPoint from Veronica Drantz

AUDIO RECORDING 

http://freethoughtfestival.org/audio/FTF120427Drantz-ed.mp3

INTERSEX STORIES: Alex & Mugsie

Personal Stories of Alex and Mugsie

Hear the stories of intersex people - not clearly male or female but clearly human!

Alex McCorry and Mugsie Pike told their personal stories to a largely gay/lesbian audience at Center on Halsted during the "INTERSEX LIVES: Issues and Personal Stories" presentation on March 10, 2012.

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is a common type of intersex occurring in genetic females. "Classical" CAH causes ambiguous genitalia in the newborn. "Nonclassical" CAH does not cause ambiguous genitalia, but like classical CAH causes the adrenal cortex to produce higher than usual levels of androgen hormones throughout life.

At the video end (when camera battery died) Mugsie was saying: "If you guys encounter anybody who is intersex, please direct them to our social group INTERSEX CHICAGO that meets at Center on Halsted on the first Tuesday of every month."
http://www.meetup.com/Intersex-Chicago/
intersexchicago@gmail.com

The slideshow I presented during my introductory remarks that preceded the personal stories can be viewed below.

INTERSEX LIVES

View more PowerPoint from Veronica Drantz

INTERSEX LIVES: Issues and Personal Stories

H.E.R. Day at Center on Halsted

A panel of speakers will present "INTERSEX LIVES: Issues and Personal Stories" as part of H.E.R. Day at Center on Halsted, the Largest Women's Event of the year!

H.E.R. Day is an afternoon of workshops dedicated to Women's health, education, and recreation presented at Center on Halsted. The day will start with a lunch sponsored by aParent IVF, and continue on into a diverse selection of workshop topics for female identified individuals. Your $12 H.E.R. Day ticket will give you access to all the days events, lunch sponsored by aParent IVF and a special keynote address from activist and mother Judy Shepard at 11am.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Judy Shepard (11am-11:30am)
President, MSF Governing Board

In October 1998, Judy and Dennis Shepard lost their 21 year-old son, Matthew, to a murder motivated by anti-gay hate. Matthew's death moved many thousands of people around the world to attend vigils and rallies in his memory. Determined to prevent others from suffering their son's fate, Judy and Dennis decided to turn their grief into action and established the Matthew Shepard Foundation to carry on Matthew's legacy. The Foundation is dedicated to working toward the causes championed by Matthew during his life: social justice, diversity awareness & education, and equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.

Judy Shepard is the founding president of the Matthew Shepard Foundation Board of Directors, and served as its first executive director as well, from 1999 to 2009. In her continuing role as board president, she travels across the nation speaking to audiences about what they can do as individuals and communities to make this world a more accepting place for everyone, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, sex, gender identity and expression, or sexual orientation. Speaking from a mother's perspective, Judy also authored a 2009 memoir, "The Meaning of Matthew," exploring the family's journey through the prosecution of Matthew's assailants, the ensuing media coverage, and their continuing work to advance civil rights. She and Dennis continue to make their home in Casper, Wyoming.

more about the Matthew Shepard Foundation please visit www.matthewshepard.org.

LUNCH BREAK

Lunch is sponsored by aParent IVF (12:15pm-1pm)

WORKSHOPS

"Feeling Sexy in Your Skin" (1pm-2pm)
JULIA M. RAHN, PH. D., Director, Studio For Change® and Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Julia Rahn is a Clinical Psychologist with more than fifteen years of experience in helping people meet their individual and family goals. Her key to success is working with the whole person who has many different aspects and using creative interventions to promote change. It soon became clear to her that the best way to serve her clients is to collect all of her therapeutic efforts and resources under one roof. Dr. Julia is the head of the Studio for Change®, a therapy practice staffed by nine therapists who specialize in individual, family, and couples' counseling. Around the practice, she built Flourish Studios®, a relaxed atmosphere where people can learn to create positive change in their lives through education, art, therapy and other resources. From empowering art to unusual greeting cards, developmental games and puzzles, and products that stimulate the creative spirit, Flourish Studios® is a unique place where people can find what they need to feel better. 

Parenting of Transgender or Gender Non-conforming Children (1pm-2pm)
Jennifer Carr, author of Be Who You Are
Jennifer Carr, author of Be Who You Are. Be Who You Are was written to open minds and hearts to the concept of children who do not identify with their birth gender. Gender diverse or transgender children are often misunderstood, ridiculed, physically assaulted or shamed into acting contrary to how they feel causing lasting and damaging effects.

Menopause (2pm-3pm)
Magda Houlberg, MD Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Howard Brown
Magda joined Howard Brown in 2008 as its Director of Geriatric Medicine and became Chief Clinical Officer in 2011. Her medical practice focus includes LGBT aging, HIV medicine, health promotion and interdisciplinary medical care for populations at risk. 

INTERSEX LIVES – Issues and Personal Stories (2pm-3pm)

Who is intersex? What is it like to live as an intersex person? Meet intersex people and hear their personal stories! Learn about their issues and concerns.

Veronica Drantz, PhD

Dr. Drantz has reviewed the scientific literature accumulated over the last fifty years on intersexuality, sexual orientation, and sexual identity and speaks to the public about this research and its social ramifications.

Georgiann Davis, PhD

Georgiann Davis is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. Her research interests center on the medical management of intersexuality. She has extensively studied the ways in which intersexuality is experienced, contested, and debated among intersexuals, their parents, and medical professionals.

Alex and Mugsie

Intersex persons will tell their personal stories.

Introduction to Yoga (3pm - 4pm)Learn the basics of yoga in this one-hour workshop taught by yoga instructor Jennifer Carr. Absolutely no experience with yoga is required, and after this session, you should feel comfortable taking any beginner=level yoga classes.

Health Pride (3pm-4pm)A fun, one-hour workout taught by DeAnna Bellamy of Body Revolution. No prior workout experience required.

BUY TICKETS

Your $12 H.E.R. Day ticket will give you access to all the days events, lunch sponsored by aParent IVF and a special keynote address from activist and mother Judy Shepard at 11am at no additional charge.

Buy tickets here.

INTERSEX CHICAGO - New Group at Center on Halsted

The Center on Halsted now serves Chicago’s intersex people as well as its LGBT community.  “Intersex Chicago” will meet at Center on Halsted on the first Tuesday of every month from 6:30pm to 9pm.  The following show gives more information.

It is gratifying that the impetus for this new intersex group was my June 11th presentation at Center on Halsted, entitled “Intersex People: What You Should Know and Why You Should Care,” that included two intersex spokespersons. Officials from the Center who attended this presentation were so impressed that they offered support for intersex people to meet at the Center.

The first meeting of Intersex Chicago will be on December 6th in Room 201.

Contact us:
intersexchicago@gmail.com
intersexchicago@groups.facebook.com
http://www.meetup.com/Intersex-Chicago

SLIDESHOW - INTERSEX PEOPLE: What You Should Know and Why You Should Care!

Here is the PowerPoint slideshow I created for “Intersex People: What You Should Know and Why You Should Care!” that was presented at Chicago’s Center on Halsted on June 11th, 2011 to an LGBT audience as part of H.E.R. Day.  Some slides were simply lifted from previous presentations, others were modified, lots of old slides left out, and new slides added.

Intersex people

View more presentations from drdrantz

While my presentation was very well-received, the “stars” were my intersex co-presenters who told their stories, Alex McCorry and Mugsie Pike (pictured left and right below respectively). Alex has previously accompanied me as an "out" intersex representative at several presentations, but this was the first time that either Alex or Mugsie spoke openly about their lives and problems as intersex people.

 

One result of this compelling first-of-its-kind event is that officials at the Center on Halsted now intend to start a group for intersex people!  It is fitting that LGBT people be informed about intersex people, because LGBT people and intersex people share many of the same concerns.

Except for saying David Reimer was intersex (NOT!), the reporter from Windy City Times accurately captured some highlights of my presentation but at best scratched the surface when it comes to Alex's and Mugsie's stories.  I intend to eventually post a transcript or recording of Alex’s and Mugsie’s moving and enlightening stories.

INTERSEX PEOPLE: What You Should Know & Why You Should Care! (A New Presentation)

I am pleased to announce a new collaboratiave effort devoted exclusively to the topic of intersex.  It is appropriate that the first venue will be the LGBT Center on Halsted.  This presentation "INTERSEX PEOPLE: What You Should Know and Why You Should Care!" is a part of Health, Education and Recreation (HER) Day for LBT women.  The complete schedule of events for HER Day follows.


HER (HEALTH, EDUCATION, RECREATION) DAY

DESCRIPTION
H.E.R. Day is an event celebrating health, education, and recreation for women and offers a diverse array of interesting and practical programs (see schedule below). People who register for and participate in H.E.R. Day will also receive free admission to an evening performance by comedian Jessica Halem. Morning coffee and lunch included!

Location: Center on Halsted
3656 North Halsted Street
Chicago, IL 60613

Time: June 11th (Saturday), 2011
10am through evening

HER DAY SCHEDULE:

Registration/coffee
Provided by Calihan Catering (9-10am)

Keynote Speech “What I Learned from Cancer”
Given by Jessica Halem (10-11am)
Five years as the Executive Director of the Lesbian Community Cancer (now Care) Project taught Jessica Halem a few things. How to survive being called a traitor while doing the right thing, how to appreciate being at someone's deathbed and while keeping their secrets until your own, and how to live a healthy life even while closing down the bar.

Sex Ed 101 (for L/B/T/Q Women)
Presented by the Chicago Women’s Health Center (11am-12:30pm)
Learn what was missing in your high school sex ed! Hear about risks, options, and ways to make sex safer and sexier! Bring your questions!

Women, the Media, and Beauty Ideals)
Presented by Renee Engeln-Maddox, Ph.D. (11am-12:30pm)
This talk will explore how women’s self-perceptions are affected by media exposure. In particular, we will examine how feminine beauty ideals are shaped by media portrayals of women as well as research demonstrating how and why these images have such an impact on women’s experience of their own bodies. We will also consider the various ways in which women fight back in the battle to define female beauty and the evidence regarding whether these techniques are effective.

Healthy Cooking Demo/Class
Presented by Chef Toni Rivera (11am-12:30pm)
Toni Rivera has a culinary degree from Le Cordon Bleu. She has been cooking for over 15 years, 4 years in a professional capacity. In this class, you will learn how to cook simple and healthy vegetarian pasta dishes. You will also learn the fundamentals of working your kitchen with high energy, safety, and efficiency.

LUNCH (12:30-1:15pm)

Infertility
Provided by IVF (12:30-1:15pm)

Tickle Your Fancy: Female Sexuality, Orgasm & What Toys Can Do for You!
Presented by Searah Deysach from Early to Bed (1:15-2:45pm)
Female sexuality is still a great mystery to many of us. In this workshop a sex educator from Early to Bed will start at the beginning - female anatomy. We’ll dismiss myths you may have heard and talk about the nature of women’s pleasure & orgasm. We will also discuss masturbation and its benefits and give you some great tips for feeling more comfortable in your body. We’ll also touch on some ways to make having sex with women even better for everyone involved and show you a few toys & gadgets that can make sex more fun for anyone. You’ll leave with a wealth of information that will hopefully help you enjoy your/her sexuality even more!

Transgender Health
Presented by Lois Bates from Howard Brown (1:15-2:45pm)
Howard Brown has a whole host of programs specifically designed to serve the needs of the transgender community. Come learn about issues in transgender health and services provided by Howard Brown. You will leave feeling knowledgeable and empowered to be your own healthcare advocate.

Intersex People: What You Should Know and Why You Should Care!
Presented by Dr. Veronica Drantz and intersex spokespersons Alex and Mugsie (1:15-2:45pm)
Who is intersex? What are the types of intersex? Is intersexuality natural? What concerns (sexual, social, medical, and legal) are shared by LGBT people and intersex people? Meet intersex people and hear their stories! Learn why you should care! Questions and discussion will follow presentation.

Veronica Drantz holds a Ph.D. in animal physiology and has taught science to medical professionals most of her life. The more than fifty years of research on the development of core sexuality in mammals, including humans, has been reviewed by Dr. Drantz. She speaks to the public about this research and its societal ramifications.

Alex and Mugsie are brave intersex persons who will tell their stories and answer your questions.

Salsa class
Instructed by Heidi Landgraf (3-4pm)
Heidi Landgraf has an MFA in dance from CalArts. She is currently studying Dance/Movement Therapy on a Follett Fellowship at Columbia College Chicago, and is teaching in the Hubbard Street “Movement as Partnership” Program. She loves bringing people together through dance, and is thrilled to see She-She Salsa thriving in Chicago. You will have a blast while learning salsa basics in this class.

Self Defense class
Instructed by Matt Cowell (3-4pm)
Learn basic moves to protect yourself on the mean streets of Chicago! Taught by Matt Cowell, 3rd Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo, and developed in response to the FBI's nine most common attacks by the American Taekwondo Association, you will learn some strategies to defend yourself, including improvised weaponry, target zones, pressure points, and ground fighting in a safe, fun, and friendly environment. Please wear comfortable clothes.

Yoga class (3-4pm)
(Details to follow)

Have dinner before the show (4-7pm)

Comedy Show, with Jessica Halem (7-8pm)
Bad Feminist (one-woman show)

After Party at Big Chicks (8pm - ?)

PRICE
$15 - includes presentations, morning coffee, lunch, and evening comedy performance! What a deal!!
Purchase Tickets Here.

FOR MORE INFORMATION E-mail lnemani@centeronhalsted.org

VIDEO and SLIDES: Myth & Science of Sexuality - Disordered or Just Different?

This video and the slideshow “Myth and Science of Sexuality - Disordered or Just Different?” of my presentation to the Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago on October 10, 2010,  explain the development of diverse sexualities (as natural variations of the organization-activation mechanism), and show that LGBTI peoples suffer persecution due to a socio-cultural disorder resulting from the erroneous "gender binary" concept.
Now you can listen to the talk as you look at the slides. The video is in four parts.  The PowerPoint slideshow that I used for this presentation is also posted below.  Click on the PowerPoint slides to see them clearly (the slides are fuzzy in the video) as you listen to the talk.  This presentation was abbreviated more than any previous version of my presentations to fit the venue's limited timeframe.

Part 1 of 4:  The science of core sexuality in mammals is summarized.  Development of internal and external genitalia.  How many sexes are there?  Did Eve come from Adam or did Adam come from Eve?  What is a female?  Male?  Who are John Money and Milton Diamond?

Part 2 of 4:  Who was David Reimer and what does his story tell us about whether sexual identity is innate or learned?  What is intersexuality?  Androgen insensitivity syndrome?  Congenital adrenal hyperplasia?  What can we learn about sexual identity from intersex people?  What has the medical profession been doing to babies with ambiguous genitalia as a result of John Money’s theory?

Part 3 of 4:  The sexual brain.  Is sexual orientation innate or learned? Sexual identity?  Are transsexual people crazy?

Part 4 of 4:

How to explain homosexuality in Darwinian terms? Sex versus gender?  Can males be women?  Can females be men?  Medical quackery and complicity in socio-cultural persecution of LGBTI peoples!

Below is the new abbreviated version of the PowerPoint slideshow used in the above talk to the Ethical Humanists.

Myth and science of sexuality short

View more presentations from drdrantz.

"Disordered or Just Different" Presentation at Chicago's LGBT Center

It’s a pleasure to announce that my next presentation of “Disordered or Just Different” will be at the Center on Halsted, Chicago’s fabulous LGBT center. I’ve been promised the plush Hoover-Leppen Theatre, so I’m hoping for a large turnout. And I’m hoping that the audience reflects the diversity of core sexualities that the Center serves. My previous presentations have been to audiences that were comprised of either secular humanists (primarily cissexual heterosexuals) or women (primarily cissexual lesbians). This is the first presentation intended for an audience composed of the entire LGBTI community. Oh yes, there will be some conventional cis-heterosexual people attending as well. They can’t help it! They were born that way!

Unlike the biblical story that “explains” only the “Adams and Eves,” the scientific story explains everyone: gay and lesbian people, transwomen and transmen, intersex people, … and oh yes, cis-heterosexual people. Everyone has genitalia, a sexual identity, and a sexual orientation - key components of “core sexuality."  At this presentation, I will show you the evidence for the “organization-activation” mechanism responsible for the development of these core sexual components in all mammals. If you live in the Chicago area, why don’t you attend this presentation and find out how “mother nature’ has tweaked this mechanism to produce your particular core sexuality?

Here are the details:

Event Title: Disordered or Just Different? Myth, Science, and Sexuality

Location: Center on Halsted, Hoover-Leppen Theatre
3656 North Halsted Street
Chicago, IL 60613


Date: September 18th (Saturday), 2010
Time: 6 pm

Presentation Description:
What exactly is a Female? Male? Intersexual? Is intersexuality natural? How many sexes are there? Sexual Identity - innate or learned? Sexual Orientation? Sex versus Gender? Religious myth versus science! Cruel and unscientific medical treatment of gay and lesbian people, intersex people, and transsexual people! Fifty years of research on core sexual development from a physiologist’s perspective.
 Questions and discussion to follow presentation.

FREE!

Please plan to join a group of us who will be going to dinner at a nearby restaurant after this event. This will be a Saturday night you will talk about for a long time!

See the slideshow

PowerPoint Slideshow: "DISORDERED OR JUST DIFFERENT? MYTH, SCIENCE AND SEXUALITY."

Disordered Or Just Different? Myth, Science, and Sexuality

View more presentations from drdrantz.

This "Disordered or Just Different" slideshow, that I use in my live presentation of the same name, tweaks and builds on my earlier slideshow ("Science and Sexuality"). "Disordered or Just Different" covers the biology of core sexuality (genital development, sexual identity, and sexual orientation) but then builds on this foundation by distinguishing between sex and gender and adding some anthropological considerations.  This new slideshow presentation culminates with a scientific indictment of the (pseudo)medical practitioners who are too quick to classify the merely different as disordered and who continue to harm gay, lesbian, transsexual, and intersex peoples.

New Presentation: “Disordered or Just Different? Myth, Science, and Sexuality”

I will be a speaker at the first annual conference of the Center for Inquiry/Chicago on Saturday, April 24th. The theme of this conference is: “Dangerous Nonsense - Exploring the Gulf between Science and its Impostors.” This theme is the perfect context for my talk entitled “Disordered or Just Different? Myth, Science, and Sexuality” that will focus on the scientific evidence on core sexuality obtained over the last fifty years and the medical profession’s treatment of intersex, homosexual, and transsexual peoples.

Here’s a conference description and schedule:

The Center For Inquiry/Chicago First Annual Spring Conference:
Dangerous Nonsense: Exploring the Gulf between

Science and its Impostors

Saturday, April 24th, 2010

8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.

111 E. Wacker Drive, Chicago 60601

26th Floor - Conference Room

Bunkum grows like a weed in American culture - whether it's climate change denial, conspiracy theories, or healing by prayer. Some ideas are not only nonsense, they are dangerous nonsense, with serious implications for our lives. In this age where misinformation can be spread more easily than ever before, understanding the role of the scientific process in human affairs is critical to our survival. This conference will present top scientists in biology, physiology, and physics, each of them gifted at explaining both the science and its impostors of their respective fields. Join us and gain valuable insight into exploring the world through science and reason.

Conference Schedule

8:30 a.m. Check-in and Registration

Optional: Set up your evening dinner reservation with a nearby restaurant

9:15 a.m. Welcome - the Center For Inquiry/Chicago Board

9:25 a.m. Dr. Massimo Pigliucci, Professor of Philosophy at the City University of New York

“Nonsense on Stilts: How to Tell the Difference Between Science and Bunk”

10:25 a.m. Coffee Break

Dr. Pigliucci will also be available to autograph his new book

10:45 a.m. Dr. Veronica Drantz, Professor of Physiology at DePaul University’s College of Nursing

“Disordered or Just Different? Myth, Science and Sexuality”

11:30 a.m. Dr. Michael Albrow, Nuclear Physicist at both the Tevatron (Fermilab) and the Large Hadron Collider (CERN)

“What's True and What's Untrue in Physics Today”

12:15 p.m. Announcements

12:20 p.m. Lunch on your own

(Your packet will include lunch options in the immediate vicinity)

1:40 p.m. Dr. Ron Pine, Explorer, retired biology professor, and debunker of Intelligent Design “Intelligent Design or ‘No Model’ Creationism: Why It Can't Qualify Even as Pseudo-Science”

2:25 p.m. The Mentalist “Mystopher” & Carolee

“Serving Fork-Fulls of Magic and Imagination”

3:00 p.m. Dr. Dario Maestripieri, Professor of Comparative Human Development, Neurobiology, Evolutionary Biology, and Psychiatry at the University of Chicago

“What Primatology and Evolutionary Psychology Tell Us About the Evolution of Human Behavior”

3:45 p.m. Coffee Break

Dr. Pigliucci will also be available to autograph his new book

4:05 p.m. Panel Discussion with all of our presenters

“The Future of Science and Science Education in the U.S.”

5:15 p.m. Adjourn

Post-Conference

5:30 p.m. Optional: Post-Conference discussion and drinks (cash bar) at the Hyatt Regency Hotel (directions included in your packet - it’s about a block away)

6:30 p.m. Optional: Dinner (your cost) in downtown Chicago - some of these will be “hosted” by CFI/Chicago Board members (your packet will include a selection of places and cuisines)

Late Optional: Music clubs (your cost) - some of these will be “hosted” by CFI/Chicago Board members (your packet will include a selection of places and musical styles)

Learn more about the speakers here.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE

Intersex People – Disordered or Different? The DSD Debate

Curtis Hinkle – founder of OII

Should intersex people be regarded as having a disorder that needs to be fixed or should they be viewed as natural variations and simply different? Robert Davidson has traced the framing processes executed in a debate over the reshaping of a code among three groups of the intersex social movement in order to understand how the groups engage with the medical discourse on intersex. His paper entitled “DSD Debates: Social Movement Organizations’ Framing Disputes Surrounding the Term ‘Disorders of Sex Development’” is an ongoing PhD research project that summarizes the history surrounding the medical community’s treatment of intersex people. It also includes discussion of the influence of John Money and his nemesis Milton Diamond.

Davidson does a good job of explaining the history of the term Disorders of Sex Development (DSD) and analyzing the different perspectives of the three intersex organizations on the issue of terminology: disorder versus difference/variation. Here is an excerpt from the introduction of his paper:

“In the last 15 years discussions around ‘intersex’ have increasingly moved beyond the medical/biological realm and taken growing prominence in gender studies, within social movements, and in the socio-cultural realm. This shift was highly promoted by social movement organizations (SMOs) that have arisen to address various issues related to intersex and was also encouraged by some academics in the social sciences and the humanities. Social movement research is only beginning to address intersex advocacy in social movement terms (Turner, 1999; Preves, 2005; Greenberg, 2006). Research regarding social movements in the last two decades has paid increasing attention, however, to discourse (Steinberg, 1998) and how social movements engage with cultural institutions and use frames (Snow & Benford, 2000) to reshape cultural codes (Melucci, 1985, 1996). This article traces the framing processes executed in a debate over the reshaping of a code among three groups of the intersex social movement in order to understand how the groups engage with the medical discourse on intersex. A medical discourse on intersex is traced based on a Foucauldian perspective. A textual framing analysis of the websites of three intersex SMOs is then presented to examine the internal frame disputes between them over the proposed terminology ‘Disorders of Sex Development,’ or ‘DSD’. The SMOs included are the Intersex Society of North America/Accord Alliance (ISNA/Accord)1, Organization Intersex International (OII), and Androgen Insensitivity Support Group UK (AISSGUK).”

While it is a minor point in the paper, I wish to inform the reader that Davidson mischaracterizes Milton Diamond when describing Diamond’s role in discovering the John/Joan hoax, when he says: “This discovery led to the critical reevaluation of the Money Protocol but has had other problematic side effects, as Diamond and Sigmundson have used this case to re-institute a binary view of sexuality (emphasis mine) based on prenatal influences of androgens on the brain.” Untrue! Diamond would be among the very last to advocate a binary view. Milton Diamond has an evolutionary perspective (like any good biologist) and has repeatedly demonstrated how he values diversity. Diamond is widely quoted for saying: "Nature loves diversity, society hates it."

Dr. Milton Diamond

This controversy over whether intersexuality per se is a disorder was addressed in 2006 in the journal, the Archives of Diseases of Childhood. Here is the letter that Dr. Milton Diamond sent to the editor. In this letter, Dr. Diamond chides the medical profession for its arrogance: “What medicine observes are variations in human sex development, it does not know the biological purpose of such variations, and there remains great controversy about how, whether or when to intervene. Terms such as error or disorders reveal an unwelcome arrogance in light of medicine's limited vantage. Medicine can do better. One way is to, instead, use the term Variation in Sex Development (VSD), a term that is without judgment and neither prohibits or ordains medical intervention”

And here is what Dr. Diamond had to say about this issue in a footnote of his recent historical review of the science on sexual development: “It has been recommended that intersex conditions be referred to as Disorders of Sex Development (DSD) (Hughes et al., 2006. Consensus statement on management of intersex disorders. Archives of Disease in Childhood. 91, 554-563.). This I refuse to do. I consider using the adjective disorder to be demeaning and pejorative to the individuals so identified. And so too does it seem insulting to members of the Organisation Intersex International, the largest intersex organization in the world (http://oii-usa.blogspot.com/2006/08/three-intersex-activists-defend.html). I use the abbreviation but with the meaning of Differences of Sex Development Diamond and Beh, 2008. Changes In Management Of Children With Differences Of Sex Development (Nature Clinical Practice: Endocrinology & Metabolism. 4, 4-5).”

So Milton Diamond refuses to refer to intersex people as disordered and likes to turn the acronym DSD into "Differences of Sexual Development". He also favors “Variations in Sex Development” that is advocated by Organization Intersex International and its founder Curtis Hinkle.

I agree with Milton Diamond and Curtis Hinkle that intersex persons are natural variations and are not disordered. In my presentation of “Science and Sexuality”, I discuss the different perspectives of biologist versus medical doctor. A dominant theme of my presentation is “Difference does not equal disorder.” Biologists see differences or variations. Medical people are predisposed to see disorders or anomalies or aberrations or faults or pathologies that they can “rectify” (for a fee of course). Medical professionals want to “fix” people even when the people are simply different.

The cultural taboo nature of sexual matters has allowed untold thousands of sexually-different people to be grossly mistreated by the medical profession and to suffer in secrecy and shame. Three sexual groups have been medicalized and pathologized by the medical professions: gay/lesbian people, transsexual people, and intersex people. (Note that intersex people have sexual identity and sexual orientation issues also.)

Gay and lesbian people were mentally-disordered in the United States until the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) was revised in 1973 and remained mentally ill elsewhere in the world according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) until 1992. Some quacks (e.g., Exodus International) still purport to do “reparative therapy” on gay people. Now reputable psychologists and psychiatrists do not treat gay or lesbian people for their sexual orientation but do treat other problems caused by the culture’s treatment of homosexual people. The culture is disordered, not gay or lesbian people!

As for transsexuals, who are currently regarded as mentally disordered in the DSM and ICD, any medical concern (e.g., gender dysphoria) can be treated without considering transsexuality per se as a disorder. (This is my position in my letter to the American Psychiatric Association regarding the revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual).

The same logic applies to intersex people. Treat any problems the patient presents and wants treated but do not consider the intersex condition itself as a disorder – consider it as a natural variation, one of the many differences to be expected in any normal population. The stigma of the label “disorder” should be replaced with “difference” or “variation”.

People do not need surgery just because their genitalia are ambiguous. Many intersex people have an “intersex identity” and their anatomy feels appropriate to them. I know of intersex persons who would gladly identify as “intersex” if the culture permitted. (Of course, intersex persons should be able to decide what surgery, if any, they require. Only they can know that - because only they can know their sexual identity, their unique sensibility which is something else again and is an issue some intersex people share with transsexual persons.)

Intersexuality is natural. Intersex people should come out of the closet. There should be no secrecy or shame. Intersex is beautiful! Intersex people do not need to change; the culture needs to change. Society needs to be enlightened, and the culture should change to acknowledge and accommodate intersex people.

Milton Diamond Reviews A Half Century Of Science On Sexual Development

Clinical Implications Of The Organizational And Activational Effects Of Hormones

Milton Diamond, who I regard as the most important figure in modern sexology, has reviewed the scientific history of the nature-nurture debate about sexual behavior. This is a wonderful summary of the science, the theories, and the medical controversies regarding intersexuality and transsexuality written by a leader in the field. Below is the abstract of Dr. Diamond’s article, “Clinical implications of the organizational and activational effects of hormones” which was published in the journal Hormones and Behavior in March 2009.

"Debate on the relative contributions of nature and nurture to an individual's gender patterns, sexual orientation and gender identity are reviewed as they appeared to this observer starting from the middle of the last century. Particular attention is given to the organization-activation theory in comparison to what might be called a theory of psychosexual neutrality at birth or rearing consistency theory. The organization-activation theory posits that the nervous system of a developing fetus responds to prenatal androgens so that, at a postnatal time, it will determine how sexual behavior is manifest. How organization-activation was or was not considered among different groups and under which circumstances it is considered is basically understood from the research and comments of different investigators and clinicians. The preponderance of evidence seems to indicate that the theory of organization-activation for the development of sexual behavior is certain for non-human mammals and almost certain for humans. This article also follows up on previous clinical critiques and recommendations and makes some new suggestions."

This is the paper to read if you are looking for a quick way to be brought up to date on the evidence for the “organization-activation theory” of sexual development and an understanding of the controversies on “core sexuality”. Here is the complete article entitled Clinical Implications Of The Organizational And Activational Effects Of Hormones.

"Gender Puzzle" - What is a female? a male?

Here is the summary of the documentary "Gender Puzzle".

"Are we on the cusp of discovering what determines gender? The old mantra - all girls have XX chromosomes and all boys have XY - is no longer reliable. Scientists are now looking beyond chromosomes to "brain sex" and the role of newly discovered genes. By studying transsexuals and people on the gender extremes, they believe they can unlock the gender puzzle. This high-quality documentary looks at the new and challenging science of gender.



Tall, thin and strikingly beautiful, model Christie North always felt female. But when she was 15, she discovered she’d been born with male chromosomes. “There was no mention at school that there can be mix ups with your chromosomes”, she complains. “Many people have the same problem – more than you think.” As well as girls with XY chromosomes, one in 500 born with a double XX as well as a Y. Most only find out about their condition when they try to father children and discover they’re infertile. Until the 1990s, gender was largely about chromosomes. But this principle was challenged when a new gene was discovered which is needed to start the process of ‘maleness’. “I think we’re starting to understand how the brain is hard-wired differently between males and females”, explains Prof. Vince Harley. Scientists are now looking at a further 54 genes which are turned on differently in males and females. They may help to explain why people identify as one gender or the other, regardless of chromosomes. There is a small but growing body of evidence that transsexuals’ brains are hard-wired in the uterus to be either male or female. A Dutch study found that male-to-female transsexuals have the same brain features as other women instead of being identical to men’s. “There is a public perception that transsexualism is a lifestyle choice”, states Prof Vince Harley. “To reaffirm a biological basis is quite empowering for them.” These discoveries are starting to redefine the gender debate. In the 60s and 70s, it was believed the nature of a child’s upbring had such a strong influence that an intersex condition could be corrected through the right upbringing. The child was allocated a sex, underwent genital surgery and was then raised in its assigned sex. But many of these children had a traumatic childhood, unable to reconcile their identity with their bodies. For them, the ‘brain sex’ theory makes perfect sense. The theory of brain sex is also challenging the law. ‘Kevin’, a transsexual, was threatened with imprisonment if he married his female partner. He successfully contested this by providing the court with evidence suggesting a biological basis to his transsexualism. In his verdict, Justice Richard Chisolm concluded: “In view of all the evidence, the things that characterise transsexuals are as much biological as mental.” Far more controversial than adults changing gender, is the issue of teenagers who want to. “All the medical evidence indicates that the earlier children with transsexualism receive treatment, the better their lives are”, reasons lawyer and transsexual Rachel Wallbank. But others disagree. “You’re wondering all the time whether the young person actually has enough life experience to make that judgement”, states Craig Andrews. He runs a support group helping transsexuals and is concerned about the increasing number of young people who want treatment. As science discovers more about what determines gender, making these decisions may become a little easier. But for now, we are only just starting to understand just how complex the biology is."

And here is the complete transcript of this video.

See my PowerPoint slides for more information on intersexuality and transsexuality.

"Science and Sexuality" Presentation at Michigan Womyn's Music Festival

My presentation entitled "Science and Sexuality" will be given as a workshop at the National Womyn's Music Festival (aka MichFest) which runs from August 4th through the 9th in the woods near Walhalla, Michigan.
The evidence presented in my PowerPoint slides will be thoroughly discussed and additional information not in the slides will be woven into the talk. As always, questions and discussion will follow the presentation.

Here are the details:
Event: Workshop entitled "Science and Sexuality"
Day: Thursday, August 6th
Time: 3-5pm
Location: MichFest near Walhalla, Michigan
Site: Media Tent

MichFest is the first and the biggest of all women's music festivals and is attended by thousands of women from all over the United States who will coalesce in a tent city that pops up overnight in the woods of northern Michigan for the thirty-fourth year this August. As a largely lesbian event, this is a great venue for reaching a large number of women who already know the pains of being sexually different in a binary gender culture. If the MichFest audience receives the scientific information about intersex and transsexual persons as sympathetically as the audience at the National Women's Music Festival in Wisconsin did just a few weeks ago, then I will be very pleased.

4 Female, Male, Chromosomal Intersex Conditions

Part 4 of "Science & Sexuality." What exactly is a female? male? intersex? What can we learn about sexuality and sexual identity from sex chromosomal variants? Who is Milton Diamond? John Money? John/Joan?

4 Female Male Chromosomal Intersex

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5 Androgen Insensitivity

Part 5 of "Science & Sexuality." What can we learn about sexual development and sexual identity from XY individuals with testes who have hormone receptor molecules that don't work at all or only partly?

5 Androgen Insensitivity

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6 Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia

Part 6 of "Science & Sexuality." What can we learn about sexuality from XX females who have atypically high testosterone influence during fetal development? What can they teach us about the development of sexual identity and sexual orientation?

6 Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia

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